Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management National Report from the Commonwealth of Australia October 2008

Section J – Disused Sealed Sources

Article 28

Legislative requirements for dealing with disused sealed sources

The focus of Australia’s regulatory control over disused sealed sources is through a requirement on the owner of the source to have a confirmed arrangement with the supplier for the return of the source at the end of its useful life.

Australia operates a radioactive material import control scheme under the Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations 1958 (Cth)¹⁹. The scheme is administered by ARPANSA in conjunction with the Australian Customs Service and State and Territory radiation protection regulators. The Regulations allow ARPANSA to attach conditions to a permission given to import a radioactive material. In addition to other conditions that might be placed on the permission, the person importing the material must inform the radiation protection regulator in the State or Territory that the imported material will reside, of the possession or intent to possess the material; and undertake not to resell or lease or hire or otherwise part with the possession or custody of the material without prior notification of the appropriate statutory authorities.²⁰

ARPANSA has delegated powers from the Minister for Health to issue export permissions for the export of high activity radioactive sources from Australia, including sources which are designated as radioactive waste. These permissions are issued under Regulation 9AD of the Customs (Prohibited Exports) Regulations 1958 (Cth). In order to export a high activity radioactive source, the exporting party is required to present to the Australian Customs Service a valid ARPANSA Export Permit signed by an authorised ARPANSA officer. The export control has been introduced to satisfy Australia’s commitment to the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Code of Conduct on the Safety and Security of Radioactive Sources.

The Australian Customs Service operates radiation monitors at various entry points into Australia. Monitors are also maintained at the Lucas Heights Science and Technology Centre (which houses ANSTO, one of the major holders of sources in Australia), and scrap metal merchants.

Re-entry of disused sources

Sealed radioactive sources are manufactured by ANSTO and sources are re-furbished in a number of jurisdictions and exported to other states and overseas. In each jurisdiction, possession of sealed sources (used or disused) requires a licence. Each jurisdiction allows the re-entry of disused sealed sources or devices containing sealed sources, under legislative and regulatory control and with the manufacturer’s approval and Customs approval, provided that the source and/or device was manufactured within the jurisdiction and that the sealed source is ultimately to be returned to the manufacturer for recycling or disposal. Each jurisdiction requires that such manufacturers be licensed and have approved procedures in place for the management of sealed sources that are returned to them.

Assessment of compliance

Australia has adequate controls for re-entry of disused sealed sources.

Section K – Planned Activities to Improve Safety

A national audit was performed of radium legacy wastes in 2007. Most of the radium was from medical applications and from the luminising industry. Ultimately the intention is to condition and centrally store all this waste until a suitable disposal facility becomes available.

Also nationally, a revised schedule for the National Directory for Radiation Protection that will update limits for disposal and discharge of radionuclides is being adopted by Australian jurisdictions that will update limits for disposal and discharge limits for radionuclides.

As mentioned earlier in the report, the new Commonwealth Government is reviewing all aspects of Australia’s long-term radioactive waste management policy.

As reported in the 2005 national report, the South Australian radiation regulator completed a comprehensive audit of the storage and management of radioactive material in South Australia. The report on the audit contained recommendations for improvements in the storage and management of radioactive waste. Many of the recommendations related to the safe storage and containment of radioactive material and were addressed in the normal course of regulatory operations.

In response to the recommendations concerning the future management of the South Australia’s radioactive waste, the South Australia Government endorsed a study of the feasibility of establishing a state-owned radioactive waste store and repository, which included a limited assessment of Radium Hill and Olympic Dam as options for the store and repository. The study found that sites exist at both Olympic Dam and Radium Hill that appear suitable for the store and repository and recommended implementing the store and repository at either site. The Olympic Dam region had a number of advantages over Radium Hill. The main advantages were better security and infrastructure, and availability of skilled staff.

In December 2005, the South Australian Government announced its intention that an interim store and repository would be located in the Olympic Dam region. The facilities would be outside the Olympic Dam uranium mine lease area.

The South Australian regulator is working with other government agencies regarding the requirements and options for implementation of the interim store and repository.

In Tasmania, the Radiation Protection Act 2005 (Tas) permits disposal in accordance with the Code of Practice for the Disposal of Radioactive Waste by the User (1985) and/or a licence. An audit of all radioactive waste will be conducted in due course. The storage location for radioactive materials under Tasmanian government control has been further upgraded and complies with relevant requirements.

The Queensland government is concerned about an issue relating to the storage of radioactive substances during transit. Queensland is requiring certain transport organisations, particularly those who tend to accumulate sources prior to shipment overseas, to minimize inventories of radioactive substances stored during transit and be licensed so that an appropriate record of their inventory may be kept.

The Northern Territory government will commence the Radiation Protection Act 2004 (NT), which has the objective ‘the radiation protection of people and the environment’. There is a written plan for the commencement of this Act.

At the Mount Walton East Intractable Waste Disposal Facility in Western Australia, the category of waste that can be disposed of and the activity limits are as outlined in the Code of Practice for the Near-Surface Disposal of Radioactive Waste in Australia (NHMRC, 1992). Following a review of international documents in 2007, additional restrictions were placed on the acceptance of some sources for burial in the 2008 disposal campaign, with the Radiological Council committing to a further review prior to the next campaign.